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Bas Kreeg
A krogan mercenary and preacher of the ancient religion of Sannhet, Bas Kreeg is, as of 2182, the last known member of Clan Bas. Biography Early Life Bas Kreeg was born to clan Bas on Tuchanka, on February 4th, 1550. The Warlord of the declining Bas clan immediately saw the potential asset Kreeg might prove to be, given his exceptional size at birth. The clan he was born into was the sole practitioner of the religion known as Sannhet, a religion which primarily encourages its practitioners to seek glory in battle. Combine this belief with natural krogan tendencies for violence and the fact that clan Bas was not very large to begin with, and it becomes obvious why the Warlord had as much hope for Kreeg as he did. However, the story of Kreeg is not a story solely about him. He had a brother, or rather, what would become like a brother to him. Six months earlier, the clan also saw the birth of Makal, another krogan child of equal proportion to Kreeg. The two were to be raised side by side, completely separate from the other krogan children. Throughout their early years, Makal and Kreeg were forced through grueling physical conditioning. Many of the exercises nearly resulted in the death of them both. However, even in cases of complete physical collapse, they would be returned to the same training the moment they were deemed fit, over and over until they passed the challenges set before them. After that, it would be straight on to the next. Either of them alone would have been unable to survive the training, but their drive to outperform the other always pushed them beyond all expectations. To further improve their already phenomenal physical abilities, the Warlord pooled the clans resources to pump them full of various drugs throughout the training. Their training would not end at mere physical conditioning. The Warlord of the Bas clan had proven himself a brilliant tactician. The clan may have been on the decline, but his leadership is what kept it from being wiped out completely. Therefore, any respite the young pair received would be spent with the clan’s current Champion of the Gods learning combat techniques, and the Warlord himself teaching the tactics of war. The two would do the clan no good if they blindly rushed into battle and got themselves killed. By the time the two had reached their first century of training, Kreeg stood at a full height of 2.67 meters and weighed a lean 372 kg. Though Makal was both a little taller and heavier. They had both become the weapons the clan had sought. Kreeg did not emerge from the training unscathed. His first taste of blood came at the age of 4, when he had decided to take on a fully grown varren bare-handed. While he ultimately managed to kill the beast, he did not do so before it had torn off a large portion of his lower lip. It taught him the valuable lesson of never underestimating his enemies. Seeing the exposed section of jawline every time he looks into a mirror ensures that it's a lesson he’ll never forget. What became abundantly clear in their upbringing was the fact that Kreeg and Makal were not equals. Makal was superior in every measurable respect. From tactical thinking, to physical strength and endurance, to his seemingly natural talent in combat. Kreeg was by no means poor in any of these respects. Comparing the average krogan to him would be nothing less than insulting, but then again, the standards of regular krogan were not those he worried about. This difference was most clearly displayed during each of their respective Rites of Passage. When Makal completed the Rite, he amazed the clan by single-handedly killing a Thresher Maw, earning him a position in song and story. The pressure was on Kreeg to match or top the feat during his own ceremony. However, he only managed to fend off the beast, rather than kill it. While still an incredible accomplishment, it did have the unfortunate side effect of solidifying Kreeg as second to Makal for the foreseeable future. What is important to keep in mind is that Kreeg bore no contempt for Makal for simply being second. The two were as close as brothers. Kreeg was well aware of how extraordinary he was, and took pride in knowing there was only one who surpassed him. One day, he knew they would sit side by side in the halls of Drakkengarde, sharing the many tales of their accomplishments. This is not to say that Kreeg timidly accepted his position as second best. His desire to surpass Makal was second only to his desire to serve the gods of Sannhet and earn his position in the eternal halls. The pair saw their first real fight against other krogan when they were 14 years old. They, along with six members of the clan faced-off against a contingent of ten rivals. During the fight, Bas lost three warriors, but managed to achieve victory thanks to the guidance of their Huskarl. Having tasted honest battle for the first time earned the title of warriors, though it did not end their training, far from it. Centenarian and Veteran They were forced to continue their training between battles until they each reached the age of 102, whereupon they each achieved the rank of Marauder and were recognized as veteran warriors. This marked the end of the training forced upon them by the Warlord. From there on, they were recognized as self-sufficient and allowed to learn and train at their own leisure. However, this did little to change them. They still sought to outperform each other and willingly continued at the same pace they had for the previous century. Kreeg's competition with Makal, combined with the manner in which the two were raised translated to a nearly unstoppable force on the battlefield. They did not coordinate by reading each other’s movements or speaking as much as by simply predicting them. It became a common game for them to count each other’s kills throughout the fight. With their raw power assisting clan Bas, the small faction quickly began regaining ground that had been lost. After facing over over two centuries of decline, the clan finally began to make a name for itself once more, much to the pleasure of the Warlord. At 265 years old, Kreeg and Makal helped fend off a direct attack coordinated between two rival clans. Bas casualties had been significant, but by the time the fighting ended, both of the rival clans had been wiped out, with Makal and Kreeg each standing over the corpses of the Warlords. As a result, the Warlord of clan Bas promoted both Makal and Kreeg to Huskarls of Sannhet. With their new positions, they were given the right to wear the ancient surcoat representative of their rank and allowed to lead raids against other clans. More importantly, however, was their right to now challenge the clan’s Champion of the Gods, the warrior seen as the single most powerful in the clan, and a position they had both sought for most of their lives. However, there could only be one bearing the title and, rather unsurprisingly, it was Makal who claimed it that same year. The next two centuries were uneventful for the most part. Kreeg challenged Makal for the title of Champion on three separate occasions but lost every one of them. The pair continued to win multiple battles against other clans, building clan Bas, and subsequently the faith of Sannhet ever higher. With their reputation growing, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong. Defeat In August of 2041, when Kreeg was 490 years old, the clan came under attack. Though by no means the first time they’d been attacked directly, this was the biggest threat they’d ever faced, and the clan had grown overconfident with their string of victories. Three rival clans carefully coordinated an attack in the middle of the night, quickly overwhelming those standing guard and catching the rest of the Bas unprepared. Nevertheless, the clan was not about to simply bow to the whims of fate. They fought back through the rest of the night with everything they had. Kreeg and Makal in their usual fashion worked their way through the enemies as a pair. Even with their skill and experience, the sheer numbers they faced made the battle extremely difficult. However, through sheer strength of will, they prevailed in the end; though not unscathed. As dawn began creeping in and the last few shots echoed across the camp, the krogan of all four clans lie dead on the ground. The two massive brothers were the only survivors, and of them, only one would actually see the sunrise. Makal had suffered several mortal wounds during the fight. Once the krogan blood rage wore off and his body became fully aware of the damage it had taken, he kneeled down, propping himself up on the giant machine gun which represented his position as the Champion of The Gods. With what few words he had left, Makal passed the weapon on to Kreeg, declaring him the new Champion. An offer which Kreeg reluctantly accepted. This was not how he had envisioned earning it. In one night, everyone Kreeg had known lay dead at his feet. It seemed a bizarre coincidence, given how successful the clan had been in their campaigns. It was during his reflections on the fight that his faith in Sannhet grew considerably. Before then he had had a few doubts, but these were now gone completely. The only explanation that made sense was that this had been the work of his gods. They’d deemed the entire clan worthy of Drakkengarde, and provided them with one last, glorious battle to invite them into the heavens. The ascension of his entire clan is the single most prideful moment in Kreeg's life, yet, he couldn’t help but wonder why the gods had not seen fit to choose him as well. Eventually, he’d conclude that they left him for two reasons; first, he was to ensure the survival of the word of Sannhet, and second -on a far more personal note- he was to find a way to surpass Makal, so he might truly claim the title of Champion of the Gods. Having nothing left on Tuchanka, Kreeg decided to leave the planet and begin exploring the far reaches of the galaxy. Vagabond Preacher With the reserves of his clan, Bas Kreeg left his homeworld and spent a little over 100 years moving between various planets and stations, doing mercenary work wherever he could find it. Moving from place to the next satisfied both of his goals. It gave him the chance to spread the word of Sannhet, while also affording him the opportunity to learn tactics of war from the various races populating the galaxy - tactics and skills which would eventually help him surpass his brother. At 597 years old, Bas Kreeg’s travels led him to the Citadel. Thanks to his exposure to various cultures and people, he’d learned that simply complying with local laws was often more beneficial than attempting to resist. This was important, because his first run-in with C-Sec occurred less than a week after he’d arrived. He was caught preaching the word of Sannhet in a public place without a license, one which he would acquire shortly thereafter. With his license to preach in hand, Kreeg would spend the foreseeable future on the Citadel: Preaching during the day, and taking on mercenary contracts whenever an interesting one presented itself. Most ended up being relatively bland, and well below his skill level, but he always held out hope that bigger scores would eventually find their way toward him. As things were, the giant krogan did not want for much. Living off of the riches gained from the clans and the various jobs he stumbled across over the years, Kreeg has come to live comfortably on the Citadel. He owns a place to call home, leads an active social life, and has earned a position in good standing with C-sec thanks to his assistance in several situations across the station. Whether or not he likes it, after over 600 years of conflict, it seems almost as though the giant has finally found peace. Personality On the surface, Bas Kreeg appears to be a fairly clear-cut krogan. He’s big, joyful, impulsive, loves fighting, and will speak at people as readily as with them. However, look past the surface and he turns into someone with far more depth. Underneath lies a man with a purpose greater than himself, dreams beyond his life, and a devotion to an ideology he alone carries. As the last representative of his faith, he finds it important to try and hold himself to a higher standard than the average krogan. Though the more time he spends around polite society, the more clear it becomes that he still has some things to learn. His casual robes are meticulously well kept, and his speech tends to be overly-formal and uncharacteristically eloquent for a krogan. It has a way of surprising people when they first meet him - that is, if they are less surprised by his overwhelming enthusiasm. His rich, deep voice combined with his stature and the energy he projects will leave more timid people unable to respond as he digresses from an introduction into preaching. Accompanying his enthusiasm is the slight smile he seems to wear perpetually. Even at times when he is surrounded by sorrow, the krogan has a tendency to maintain a pleasant and energetic demeanour. This is not because he takes a morbid pleasure in the suffering of others. The root of his behavior lies in his devotion to Sannhet and its gods, a devotion resulting from being raised for most of his life within the religion. The faith is so ingrained that it has led him to a near-fatalistic outlook on life, trusting his gods to guide him down the right path. A side effect of his natural energy and inherent trust in the world around him is a tendency to be easily inspired. He views many of the events around him - both tragic and fortunate - as signs of his gods interacting with the world, even believing many of his own thoughts and opinions to be divinely inspired. As such, he rarely second-guesses himself. Afterall, he believes his purpose is to serve the gods, and they represent an authority he would rather not question. To the world outside of his head, this culminates in Kreeg often acting impulsively and rarely taking credit for his actions. In fact, the only time he really believes his actions to be entirely of his own free will is when he finds himself on the battlefield. There, his thoughts are his own, as fighting represents the theatre where his dreams of earning his place in the heavens will be realized. Being so close to realizing his dream has a way of filling Kreeg with utter elation, and he will often laugh and cheer to ensure everyone present knows. Physical Description If there was ever a word to properly describe Kreeg, that word would be hulking. The sheer mass of his physical body is far beyond that of the average krogan. He stands at 2.67m and weighs a staggering 445kg with faded, grey and brown plates, heavily wrinkled, tan skin, and deep-set, violet eyes. The musculature in his arms makes them appear as though they could have been donated by an elcor, while the mass of his gut more closely resembles the average yahg. The size of his body is not entirely natural. Though he was exceptionally large at birth, a considerable portion of his size can be attributed to the many steroids and growth hormones he was treated with by his clan. Along with medications, the Bas clan forced him through intense combat training in an effort to maximize his physical abilities. However, his routine focused primarily around strength training, resulting in a body that while immensely strong, does not possess the athletic figure typically associated with heavy training. Beyond the sheer size of his body, Kreeg does not appear particularly remarkable. The plate on his forehead bears scars and has lost some of its color. His jaw is pointed by several jagged spikes, which may or may not have been used as weapons by him on occasion. Most notable however, is the large portion of his lower lip which is missing. The missing section was torn off by a varren when he was a child, exposing his teeth and gum line in that area. And as expected from a krogan warrior of his age, his body is covered with scars. Everything from bullet wounds, to cuts from omni-blades, to burns from various devices, his body serves as a tapestry depicting the many battles he’s fought. As one might expect from an extremely powerful krogan, hell-bent on proving his worthiness though battle, his armor is as heavy as it comes. Due to his size, the armor is a custom-built set based off on the technology used in the Kassa Fabrication, Heavy Colossus grade plate armor. It’s predominantly bare grey and gold metal, which is appropriately marked by age across various spots. Rather unusual is the tattered white and black surcoat Kreeg wears under the armor. The cloth Is part of the uniform which represented his status as Huskarl within Sannhet. For casual wear, he has several sets of priest’s robes which by design do not look very different from his surcoat. The only real differences being that they’re smaller due to not having to fit over his armor and feature long, loose sleeves which extend to his wrists. The robes are kept meticulously well and he wears them with noticeable pride. Like the armor and his primary weapon, the robes denote his position as Huskarl within Sannhet. However, he does not always wear his formal attire. While working out, he typically likes to dress in tight, flexible shirts and shorts, and will on occasions wear them casually. Unfortunately, being from an older era, his taste can often seem dated, such is the case for the brightly colored speedos he proudly displays whenever its time to swim. Armament Kreeg utilizes his weapon of fate, the KroGun, when in combat, though he carries a Striker with him as well. Both weapons come equipped with Flak Cannon additions, and the KroGun's blades can be electrified to give enemies an extra jolt when the bludgeoning just isn't enough. His omni-tool is equipped with the combat abilities Shield Boost and Incinerate. Category:Characters Category:Krogan Category:Preachers Category:Mercenaries Category:Clan Bas Category:Warriors